Survey looks to get handle on Southeast catfish numbers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service is looking to contact catfish producers across the Southeast to collect information for the 2014 July Catfish Production report. Producers should receive survey questionnaires in June and can respond via the Internet, mail or fax.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service is looking to contact catfish producers across the Southeast to collect information for the 2014 July Catfish Production report. Producers should receive survey questionnaires in June and can respond via the Internet, mail or fax.

Those who do not respond in one of those ways will have the opportunity for a telephone or personal interview. “NASS surveys catfish producers in January to create an accurate estimate of catfish production in Alabama and the nation,” said James Ewing, director of the NASS Southern Regional Office.

This year NASS will also contact catfish producers in July. In Alabama, NASS will survey approximately 160 catfish farmers in July asking them to provide the total water area and an inventory breakdown of its usage into subcategories (brood fish, food size and fingerlings).

The catfish industry relies on the Catfish Production report to make decisions about the marketing of their goods. Information provided by respondents, for all NASS surveys, is confidential by law. NASS safeguards the privacy of all responses and publishes only aggregate data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified.

Survey results will be published in the Catfish Production Report July 25.